By Lucy Adautin
The military junta in Mali has ended its suspension of political party activities, initially imposed to maintain public order, as announced by the council of ministers late Wednesday.
The suspension, declared in April, came just before a national peace dialogue in the Sahelian country, which has faced a jihadist insurgency for over 10 years and has been under military control since August 2020.
“The government successfully mitigated all threats of public disorder surrounding this significant event by implementing this preventive measure,” stated the council.
With the focus now shifting to implementing the recommendations from the April 13 to May 10 peace dialogue, the government has decided to allow political parties to resume their activities.
The junta, which took power in a second coup in 2021, had previously broken a promise to hold elections in February, citing technical issues and indefinitely postponing the vote. This decision sparked anger among political parties and civil society groups, who demanded a return to constitutional order.
Since the initial coup in Mali in August 2020, there have been eight coups in West and Central Africa, including neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, which are also fighting jihadist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
